Karma Dog
Minneapolis
A gentle, effective, and enlightened approach to dog training
Before you can choose an actual dog trainer, I believe you must first decide what kind of bond you want to establish with your dog. Do you want a relationship based on Intimidation and Force or would you like one based on Cooperation and Trust? Do you want to use Pain to get your dog to listen to you or would you rather use Pleasure? Choke chains or Cookies? It really is a choice. To take it a step further, I truly believe every single one of us raising dogs today share an incredible responsibility in determining how our dogs will view their world. Will they see through the eyes of fear or through the eyes of love? The latter is only possible with a process of training and interacting with your dog that uplifts his spirit rather than tears it down. In most cases, both techniques could produce the results you want. However, only one method will feel right in your heart.
- Jeffrey Liebowitz
(Founder of Karma Dog Training & author of A Walk Towards Heaven)
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Karma Dog Training Minneapolis was formed in 2004 and has since earned the respect of countless Minneapolis dog trainers and Minneapolis dog behaviorists as well as the endorsement of well-respected Minneapolis veterinarians. Dr. Ian Dunbar, founder of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) has called Karma Dog Training's TPSP sponsored Minneapolis puppy training and socialization classes "a wonderful way to socialize puppies in a safe and responsible manner." Dr. R. K. Anderson, the venerable DVM to the veterinarians has also endorsed Karma Dog Training Minneapolis's early puppy kindergarten and socialization class. Karma Dog Training Minneapolis has also received endorsements from many other Minneapolis veterinarians, doggie day care professionals, rescue organizations and animal control officers throughout Minneapolis. Feel free to visit our testimonials page.
Karma Dog Training Minneapolis boasts an experienced and qualified staff of dog trainers and behaviorist specialists throughout the Minneapolis area. We provide private in home dog training lessons, basic dog obedience classes, puppy training and puppy socialization classes, dog behavior modification training, service dog training, therapy dog training, star puppy classes, canine good citizen classes, treatment plans and protocols for separation anxiety, zen type training, dog-on-dog aggression, resource guarding and human aggression cases. We are open 7 days a week, from 8:00am to 8:00pm. If you would like to speak to a Minneapolis dog trainer or a Minneapolis dog behaviorist and you are in the greater Minneapolis area, please contact us at info@karmadogtraining.com.
Founder and CEO of Karma Dog Training Inc., Jeffrey Liebowitz, developed our Minneapolis Puppy Training, Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Obedience and Dog Training education courses. He has developed a Zen like application for teaching clients called the "Karma Dog Training Method", that is considered among his clients to be the most gentle, effective and enlightened approach to puppy/dog training available.
Our Minneapolis dog training company boasts a staff of professional dog trainers who specialize in canine behavior modification. For more detailed information about our staff of Minneapolis dog trainers and animal behaviorists in the Minneapolis area, please read our Bio Page.
Karma Dog Training Minneapolis offers comprehensive and affordable dog training programs for puppies through adults, and works with all breeds from Chihuahuas to Pit bulls. In our Minneapolis puppy training classes, we cover the entire puppy training essentials from potty training to walking nicely on a leash. We also go over all the puppy basics such as puppy chewing, puppy nipping, puppy jumping, puppy barking, and of course puppy potty training and puppy house training. In addition, our Minneapolis puppy kindergarten and puppy socialization classes cover all aspects of basic dog obedience with Karma Dog Training's "7 Requests for Success" and the "7 Steps to Become your Dog's Alpha Angel."
Enrolling in puppy classes prior to three months of age can be an excellent means of improving training, strengthening the human-animal bond, and socializing puppies in an environment where risk of illness can be minimized. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such puppy socialization before they are fully vaccinated.
In general, puppies can start puppy socialization classes as early as 7-8 weeks of age. Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming. They should be kept up-to-date on vaccines throughout the puppy class. Puppy socialization classes offer a safe and organized means of socializing puppies and more quickly improve their responsiveness to requests. Early and adequate puppy socialization and programs of positive dog training can go a long way to preventing behavior problems and improving bonding between humans and dogs. While the first three months is the most important puppy socialization period in a puppy’s life, owners of puppies that have passed this milestone are strongly encouraged to continue to socialize their puppies to as many people, pets, and locations as practical.
In our Minneapolis basic obedience training classes, we cover all aspects of basic obedience dog training using a combination of hand signals and voice cues. We use NO harsh corrections. Our Minneapolis basic obedience dog training class is identical to our Minneapolis puppy kindergarten and socialization class, except it is tailored for dogs 5 months of age and up and is taught on leash. By attending one of Karma Dog Training Minneapolis's innovative and entertaining group dog training classes, you can expect to develop the tools, strategies and knowledge to deal effectively with all aspects of your dog's behavior, including learning an all-inclusive in depth introduction to "The Karma Dog Training Method". These timeless teachings will give you the skills to gently shape your dog’s responses and begin a process of communication with your dog built on the foundation of cooperation and mutual respect. We offer reduced pricing for clients with rescue dogs and dogs adopted from any of the Minneapolis dog shelters.
In our Minneapolis private dog training sessions and during our private dog coaching sessions, we cover all aspects of basic dog obedience as well as dog behavior modification. Basic dog obedience is where we train in a new behavior. Dog behavior modification is where we change an existing dog behavior. This includes but is not limited to training in or modifying leash etiquette, chewing, dog resource guarding, barking, separation anxiety, leash lunging, leash aggression, leash reactivity, leash excitement, dog-on-dog aggression and dog to human aggression.
The Karma Dog Training Minneapolis private dog training program is designed to empower you with the focus, training and accountability you need to achieve the consistent results you desire. Just as a personal fitness trainer helps you raise your standards for accelerated results in your body, your Karma Dog Training trainer or dog behaviorist will challenge and support you in attaining the results you desire and deserve with your dog.
You will work with a highly skilled dog trainer or dog behaviorist selected to closely match your individual needs. You will take massive, intelligent action to achieve your dog training goals. Your personal dog trainer will empower you by holding you accountable to the commitments you make. Your private dog trainer will help measure, monitor and manage your dog's progress, and along the way support you to take consistent action that leads to the results you desire.
At Karma Dog Training Minneapolis, it's our belief that when choosing a puppy trainer or dog trainer it's important to choose the Minneapolis dog training School that shares your values, and that will recognize your dog's innate right to be taught with patience, love and respect. This is precisely the reason why Karma Dog Training Minneapolis's gentle and enlightened approach to dog training appeals to thousands of Minneapolis puppy and dog parents each year.
Our Board and Train Program is designed so that your dog’s receives the best dog training we can offer with the goal of responding to you when they return home. It is usually a one, two or three week program, and depending on which program you choose, is followed by 1 to 3 private in home dog training sessions as well as unlimited group dog obedience or puppy classes for up to six months. We offer a FREE 10-minute FaceTime, Skype, or Phone session to see which program is best for you. If your dog is accepted into our Minneapolis board and train program, your dog will come and live in one of our dog trainer's home and receive daily dog training lessons. Your dog will be trained inside the home, outside on the street, around other dogs, at the park etc.
In between dog training sessions, your dog will receive ample exercise, lots of playtime, have plenty of time to relax and get to hang out with several other dogs when not training. We do not cage your dog under any circumstance unless specifically requested by you to do so, or if its part of a potty training or house training program that you decided upon. The Minneapolis board and train fee includes all training and boarding, all in-home follow up lessons and all discounted and/or unlimited group dog classes for up to 6 months.
Our Reverse Board and Train program is where one of our Karma Dog Trainers will come and stay in YOUR home and train your dog in the comfort of your own home. This can be done while you're away on vacation or even while you're home! If you choose our Reverse Board and Train program while you're not on vacation, our trainer will come to your home in the morning and leave in the afternoon, training and working with your dog throughout the day. You can be right there watching the entire time or you can not be there at all. It's up to you.
Why is our Reverse Board and Train such an effective program? Simply put, dogs are what we refer to as "contextual learners". They learn best in relation to their own environment. In addition, with our Reverse Board and Train program, there is no adjustment period for a dog to get used to so learning takes place right away and the results happen a lot faster.
This is precisely the reason why our Reverse Board and Train program is usually a shorter program (5, 7, 10, 14 days) then our Traditional Board and Train program. Since dogs are learning in the environment where most of their "bad behavior" happens, the learning curve is shorter and less time is needed to train your dog.
Karma Dog Training’s Minneapolis “Board and Train” program uses ONLY positive reinforcement dog training methods. Some dog training companies who offer “Board and Train” will do whatever it takes to get quick results with your dog including employing choke chains and shock collars. Karma Dog Training Minneapolis will NOT employ any kind of aversive dog training techniques on your dog unless specifically requested by you and agreed by us beforehand.
If you are interested in having your dog trained as a service dog, Karma Dog Training Minneapolis can also help you. Dogs have proven their usefulness to humans for centuries, and no more so than in becoming service dogs. Knowing what it takes to have your dog trained as a service dog, and more importantly designated as a service dog in the city of Minneapolis, will make your life much easier no matter what your handicap.
Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, providing non-violent protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities, and helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The crime deterrent effects of an animal's presence and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.
Comfort animals are pets that owners keep with them for emotional reasons (the owner may feel calmer when he or she is near the pet) do not qualify under the latest legal definition as a Service animal. Unlike a service animal, a comfort animal is not trained to perform specific tasks directly related to the person's disability. Common tasks for service animals include flipping light switches, picking up dropped objects, alerting the person to an alarm, or similar disability-related tasks. A service dog may still provide help to people with psychiatric disabilities, but the dog must be trained to perform specific actions, such as distracting the person when he becomes anxious or engages in stimming or other behaviors related to his disability.
Becoming a therapy dog team is a rewarding volunteer activity for everyone involved. Therapy dogs serve in a variety of roles. Some of them visit people in hospitals and long term care facilities, others participate in reading programs at schools, some go into advanced training and respond to emergency situations and help people to remain calm and feel safe while talking to authorities. There are many jobs for therapy dog teams to participate in.
In order for us to achieve Therapy Dog status for your dog, we first must concentrate on your dog being able to pass the Canine Good Citizen test. It's not mandatory that your dog take the Canine Good Citizen test as a prerequisite to the Therapy test with the Delta Society, but it is highly recommended. After successfully passing The Canine Good Citizen test, the next step would be to attend a Therapy Animal Handler Course, which is available online. You will then have your dog screened by a vet. Next, you will have your dog's skills and aptitude evaluated. If your dog is able to pass the CGC test, then the skills portion will be an easy pass. The aptitude portion of test includes things like reactions to angry yelling, clumsy petting and being bumped from behind.
If you are calling around to other Minneapolis dog trainers or have tried other dog trainers only to be turned off to the idea of training your dog because of the method of training used, please consider that you and your dog may just need a different approach. A dog trainer who simply sees your dog as just a dog, may not always be able to help because they are only trained to evaluate your dog's behavior, as opposed to seeing your dog from a holistic perspective.
Karma Dog Training Minneapolis's staff of professional dog trainers and behavior specialists are not only trained to understand basic obedience training and how to prevent and manage dog behavior problems, but we also understand that your dog is a soul, just like you and I. This allows us to get to the root of the psychological and spiritual aspects of problem behavior. In addition, in all of our Minneapolis puppy kindergarten and dog training classes, we're able to give you a greater understanding of your dog's behavioral obstacles and how they originated. We then provide you with many practical applications on how to overcome them turning them from potential negative experiences into positive healing opportunities.
At Karma Dog Training, we are proud to be one of the only premiere in home puppy daycares in the city. We offer puppy daycare 7 days a week in our home and under the supervision of one of our skilled trainers.
Each of the indoor playrooms are heated and air-conditioned with plenty of fresh air. We also have a large outside play area! In addition, all of our puppy daycare play areas have access to live webcams, so you can watch the fun at home, work, or on your iPhone, Droid or Blackberry. The puppies are separated into groups based on their size and play style. Our play areas are constantly being supervised by our highly trained puppy daycare staff members, who always make sure the puppies are always safe and having fun! Because we do limit the number of puppies that can come play, each pup receives a lot of personal attention and belly rubs from our staff!
Karma Dog Training’s mission has always been about improving the quality of life for our canine companions and their loving owners. That’s why we offer a variety of Dog Walking and Pet Sitting Services, including Overnight stays in your home.
At Karma Dog Training we understand that finding the right pet sitter or dog walker is like finding the right baby sitter for your kids - it’s an important decision! That’s why we make sure you have a chance to personally meet and interview your individual pet sitter or dog walker long before you ever agree to have them take care of your dog.
In addition, when you hire one of Karma’s Dog Training’s pet sitters or dog walkers, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your individual dog walker or pet sitter was personally handpicked by us to match your dog’s specific personality and needs.
When you sign up for any one of our Minneapolis puppy training or basic obedience classes in the Minneapolis area, in addition to receiving excellent instruction in class, you will also be given a unique user name and password to access the online Karma Dog Training Educational Center. It is here where you can download all of the essential Karma Dog Training course materials in easy to access PDF format documents. This password protected part of the website is only made available to our registered puppy kindergarten, basic obedience, canine good citizen and star puppy clients. As a Karma Dog Training Minneapolis client, you'll also learn how to maintain your dog's progress after training has finished by understanding and implementing: Karma Dog Training's "5 in 5" Easy Maintenance Schedule, how to substitute using training treats for "Real Life Rewards", how to turn your morning dog walk into your "Meditation Walk" and how to master our "Training with Tranquility" Ritual.
At Karma Dog Training Minneapolis, when it comes to focusing and treating more serious dog-behavioral issues such as dog leash reactivity, dog leash lunging, dog leash excitement, dog-on-dog aggression, dog separation anxiety and dog-on-human aggression, our staff of Minneapolis dog behaviorists and Minneapolis dog trainers will always try and obtain as much information as possible on the history of your dog and if appropriate, then schedule an initial in-home evaluation. If we are unable to help you for whatever reason, we will guide you in the right direction of a dog training professional or behaviorist who can. In certain cases, we can also assist you in the rehoming process. There are many dog trainers in the Minneapolis area that may not have the experience or aptitude dealing with aggressive dogs. That is okay. Dog aggression and dog anxiety cases are not for every dog trainer. At Karma Dog Training Minneapolis, our dog behaviorists and dog trainers will never advise euthanasia for aggressive dogs if there are plausible alternative choices that should be considered first. If you find yourself with an aggressive dog, please contact us to discuss your options rather than just dropping your dog off at the shelter.
The Karma Dog Trainer Apprentice Program is designed to teach students how to come from the highest, most enlightened perspective when training puppies and dogs. Our organization, which prides itself with a mission toward enhancing the human-canine relationship through education and dog-friendly training, offers 3 different levels of education for students interested in a part-time or full time career in animal behavior.
Apprentice Level 1 teaches students the basic skills and protocols associated with how dog's successfully learn. Students will begin to understand the fundamentals of Karma Dog Training's "7 Requests for Success" regardless of breed or age. Students will begin shadowing actual Karma Dog Trainers on private in home sessions with real clients. They will also be part of the Karma Dog Training group classes where they will learn through observation and assisting.
Apprentice Level 2 teaches students to go beyond the basic skills and protocols associated with how dog's successfully learn into how dog's think and problem solve. Students will build on everything they learned during the Level 1 course, including working with dogs that are fearful or anxious. In addition to shadowing Karma Dog Training's Private In Home Sessions and participating in the Karma Dog group classes, Apprentice Students will attend "Meet ups" where they will sit down one-on-one with a Karma Dog Teacher Trainer in a round table discussion format. Students in the Level 2 Program may also be asked to train a rescue dog from a local rescue.
Apprentice Level 3 helps students grow and gain confidence in their training behavior knowledge and skills, as they prepare for a career as a professional dog trainer. In addition to all the of the teachings in Level 1 and Level 2, students will be assisting in a wide variety of group classes and private dog cases. In addition to working hands on with a rescue dog, Apprentice Students will delve into the world of working with the more "difficult dogs". The fundamentals of how to successfully conduct private in home sessions and lead group dog classes are also part of our Level 3 course.
Karma Dog Training Minneapolis uses gentle and effective, 100% positive reinforcement training and behavior shaping techniques endorsed by the AHA, HSUS, SPCA, ASPCA and most Schools of Veterinary Medicine. You'll also benefit by teachings based on safe and gentle behavior principles such as Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Shaping, Jeff's "Training without Training" technique, Canine Communications, and the Spiritual Aspects of Training.
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Karma Dog Training Inc.